After media spotlight, Brentwood police make first public statement on woman’s ‘law enforcement-involved’ death

BRENTWOOD The city s police department has for the first time publicly acknowledged that a -year-old woman died after going unresponsive in the back of a patrol car six weeks ago A comment issued by the Brentwood police department on Tuesday comes a day after several media outlets publicized the Oct death of -year-old Yolanda Ramirez whose family has alleged was injured when an officer knocked her head into a patrol bicycle while arresting her on suspicion of a misdemeanor a week before she died The message says police at once called for healthcare backup when an officer noticed Ramirez appeared to be having a physiological issue in the back of the car and that our thoughts remain with the Ramirez family during this intricate time While we cannot comment further on an functioning analysis or pending claim we want to assure the community that the Brentwood Police Department is committed to treating all individuals with dignity and respect in every call they respond to and to following established procedures designed to ensure transparency and accountability the report says referencing a legal claim a precursor to a lawsuit filed Monday by Ramirez s family The legal claim alleges that the department left out key details surrounding Ramirez s Sept arrest and Oct death and that the family s attorney hired a private investigator who interviewed eyewitnesses Police say Ramirez was placed under a citizen s arrest at the request of a family member during a family dispute and that the approximately year-old woman attempted to flee the scene The legal claim says police were called because someone saw Ramirez yelling into the window of her brother s home on the block of Broderick Drive in Brentwood because he failed to answer the door when she arrived to take him to a medical expert s appointment Ramirez was hospitalized the day of her arrest Her death has prompted the Contra Costa District Attorney s office to launch its own probe which is done for all law enforcement-related deaths across Contra Costa whether or not police caused the death One law enforcement source declared that the DA s office was informed Ramirez suffered a stroke and was being arrested on suspicion of disturbing the peace Brentwood police didn t inform the society about Ramirez s death or publicly acknowledge it until after this news organization published it Police are not legally required to announce such incidents but the omission is abnormal for Contra Costa where all police-related deaths are subject to third-party investigations as a matter of protocol Six prior police-related deaths this year were all broadcasted by the involved departments in Contra Costa As a whole no police agency in the county has failed to publicly announce a law enforcement-involved death since the death of Angelo Quinto in Antioch an affair that ultimately cost the city a million lawsuit settlement